Archive for : Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies

For the last few years, Repair the World has convened a delegation of Jewish non-profit professionals at the annual Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service (June 27-29 this year). So much exciting work has happened in the world of service and volunteering within the Jewish world over the last decade. The delegation offers a chance for some of the leaders of this movement to get together, share ideas, and learn from one another.

We are so excited to have this year’s delegation meet one another. In the meantime, we want to introduce some of them to YOU! Here, we spoke with delegate Jennie Gates Beckman. As Director of Volunteer Strategy for the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies, she spends her days helping Jewish social service agencies engage volunteers strategically and elevating the role of volunteering within AJFCA’s network. She’s a five time attendee of the Conference for Volunteering and Service and a returning Repair the World delegate, so she had lots to share about the experience. Read on…Read more

August is “Back to School” month at Repair the World. Check back all month long for posts about inspiring education organizations, amazing educators, and ways to get your education on – whether you’re a student or not!

As much as it hurts to admit it, summer is winding down and the new school year is around the corner. But there is still time to tackle that summer reading list you’ve been putting off!

Last year, Repair the World brought you some of our favorite do-gooding, world changing summer reads This year, we reached out to some of our partner organizations for their suggestions. Thanks to the good folks at the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies (AJFCA), Hillel, Moishe House, and REALITY / Schusterman Philanthropic Network for answering the call and sharing their favorite inspiring titles.

Read on, and see if you can spot the theme that emerged between most of these books. (Hint, check out the titles!)

ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN’S AGENCIES’ RECS:

Cause for Change by Kari Saratovsky and Derrick Feldman: Co-written by Repair the World board member, Kari Saratovksy, this book focuses on engaging the Millennial generation in world changing work. “I’ve read it, highlighted it, and scattered it with Post-it notes,” said Jennie Gates Beckman, of AJFCA. Find out more information about the book at the Cause for Change website.

HILLEL’S RECS:

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder: This stunning book, written by a Pulitzer prize winning author, tells the story of Dr. Paul Farmer’s quest to fight tuberculosis in Haiti, Peru, and Siberia.

As a character, Farmer is smart and charismatic, and Kidder’s descriptions of the worlds he visits are remarkably vivid. But the book’s real highlight is how it highlights the possibility of making change even in the most insurmountable-seeming situations. “Of course this book,” said Hillel’s Michelle Lackie, when asked for her suggestions.

How to Change the World by David Bornstein: Need a dose of inspiration? Read this collection of profiles written about incredible “social entrepreneurs” – people who have made changing the world their life’s work. The featured case studies include a Nobel peace prize winner who led an international campaign against landmines, a educational entrepreneur who established schools in the slums of Brazil, and a woman who helped compel American corporations to respond to environmental degradation.

MOISHE HOUSE RECS

Who Ordered this Truckload of Dung, by Ajahn Brahm: Okay, okay, so the title is…intriguing. But this compilation of more than 100 funny, wise, and deeply touching stories about love, life, pain, and growth are well worth the read. The author, a Buddhist monk, shares stories that can be read to children and adults, and that will be inspiring to both. As Jordan Fruchtman of Moishe House said, “It’s not a new book, but it’s my favorite!” As far as we’re concerned, that’s a pretty strong seal of approval.

REALITY / SCHUSTERMAN PHILANTHROPIC NETWORK’S RECS:

Change by Design by Tim Brown: This book bursts the myth about innovation that “brilliant ideas leap fully formed from the minds of geniuses.” It makes a case for “design thinking, which focuses on collaboration approach to problem solving. As CEO and President of IDEO, a company that has been ranked as one of the most innovative in the world, Brown definitely knows his stuff. Ever wished you or the organization you work for could be more creative or more innovative? Read this book. Suggested by Jenny Maenpaa of REALITY.

Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World, by Bill Clinton: Former President Clinton’s book came out in 2007, but remains vitally important today. It is a call to action that explores how companies and organizations around the globe are changing the world for the better, and urges all readers to find ways to plug in to the movement, “regardless of income, available time, age, and skills.” This book was also suggested by Jenny Maenpaa.

What books should we add to the list? Let us know by replying the comments or tweeting us at @repairtheworld.

–Leading Organizations Partner to Inspire New Generation of Civically Engaged North American Jews–

NEW YORK, NY, APRIL 2012 – Repair the World (Repair), a national nonprofit that mobilizes Jews to serve those in need, has partnered with the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies (AJFCA), the membership association for North America’s Jewish family service agencies, on a Volunteer Initiative Program to increase the size and effectiveness the Jewish family services network’s volunteer base.

AJFCA, which supports a network of 125 agencies across the United States and Canada annually serves hundreds of thousands of Americans in need from all faiths and backgrounds. It will work with Repair the World, which connects Jewish Americans to meaningful service opportunities and builds capacity for organizations to run effective service programs rooted in Jewish values, to infuse AJFCA’s member agencies with new models of volunteering.

The Volunteer Initiative Program will focus on expanding outreach to young adults and increasing opportunities for this demographic to volunteer at AJFCA member agencies and will include a series of workshops, networking opportunities and information sharing sessions. It will also provide technical assistance and support to local AJFCA outposts to promote volunteering, provide service-learning resources and build the capacity of local volunteer leaders.

“The work of Jewish family service agencies is so important, especially given today’s economic climate. The need to build the volunteer capacity of those agencies is a shared concern for both Repair the World and AJFCA,” said Jon Rosenberg, CEO of Repair the World. This is a natural partnership and we are tremendously excited about the work ahead.”

Together, Repair the World and AJFCA have hired Jennie Gates Beckman to serve as the Initiative’s first Manager of Civic Engagement & Repair the World Programming. Based in Baltimore, Beckman will help lead the effort to effectively engaging thousands of people in vital volunteer work. Beckman, who has a Master’s Degree in Jewish Communal Service from Brandeis University, has worked in volunteer recruitment for the past five years at the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

“Today’s young adults will form the support base for our network of Jewish family service agencies tomorrow and into the future,” said Lee Sherman, President and CEO of AJFCA. “Repair the World and AJFCA share a recognition of the importance of engaging this group with the essential work of our agencies. Jennie’s experience inspiring young adults to volunteer in Baltimore makes her an excellent choice to lead this initiative.”

ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN’S AGENCIES

AJFCA is the membership association for approximately 125 Jewish family service agencies across the U.S. and Canada. Ranging in size from small departments of local Jewish federations to some of the largest human services agencies in North America, our members provide vital services to clients of all ages, faiths and economic backgrounds. They counsel families, feed the hungry, assist the elderly and protect the vulnerable. We are united by the values of our Jewish tradition and work together toward our common goal of tikkun olam, repairing the world.

ABOUT REPAIR THE WORLD

Established in 2009, Repair the World is a national nonprofit organization that mobilizes Jewish Americans to contend with the world’s most pressing issues through service. Headquartered in New York City, we connect individuals with meaningful volunteer opportunities to help their local, national and global communities, and builds the capacity of individuals and organizations to run effective service programs rooted in Jewish values. For more information, visit weRepair.org.

NEW YORK (JTA) — Like most nonprofits today, Jewish organizations struggle to fulfill all the needs of their client base with limited resources, as competition for funding dollars climbs, government support declines and staff are stretched thin. And like most nonprofits, we are able to boost the impact of our programs through the help of volunteers. Some 62.8 million volunteers in the United States provided over 8 billion hours of their time to nonprofits in 2010, at an estimated dollar value of $160 billion. Clearly, volunteers are an important asset to any nonprofit organization.

But for Jewish organizations, engaging volunteers holds another critically important place in the fulfillment of our missions. It provides the link between the Jewish community at large and its Jewish communal organizations that is essential for the perpetuation of our people. Therefore, it is time for us to rethink the role of volunteers and rethink how we’re working with them — especially the next generation of young adult volunteers.

Engaging young adults as volunteers with Jewish nonprofits has drawn much attention lately. There is no issue of willingness to volunteer among young Jews. According to Repair the World’s 2011 “Volunteering + Values” report, 78% of young Jewish women and 63% of young Jewish men said they had volunteered during the 12 months prior to the survey. Their volunteerism in general now consists primarily of episodic, one-shot engagements, and most of it occurs outside of the Jewish community.

That means that there is great social spirit in the community, but it is not being channeled often enough through a Jewish lens. Young Jewish adults have a strong desire to create justice in the world. They just do not all connect this to the Jewish value of tzedakah. They want to work hard for those who are disadvantaged. Some just do not see this work as tikkun olam. We must make this connection for them so they understand that their inner values are Jewish values and so they see the Jewish community as a likely vehicle through which to channel those values.

We also must create awareness of the many opportunities to volunteer that exist within the Jewish community. Young adults have varying interests. We must make them aware of the varying opportunities within Jewish communal organizations that may meet their needs. We desire to engage the important human capital provided by volunteers. But they must also know about us in order to engage with our collective work.

That’s the impetus behind a new partnership between Repair the World, the service arm of the American Jewish community, and the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies, the membership association for North America’s 125 Jewish family service agencies.

Repair the World and AJFCA’s new Volunteer Initiative Program will focus on increasing volunteer opportunities for young people at Jewish Family Services organizations and on creating meaningful, effective service that better enables Jewish family service agencies to deliver on their mission. Volunteers will help us serve those in need and we will help them connect their desire to serve with their Jewish traditions and values. Jewish family service agencies provide such a variety of services to their communities — from caring for the elderly and disabled, to lifting up the unemployed, to feeding the hungry, helping to house the poor and more. These agencies are the perfect bridge for young adults with varying passions to the Jewish community.

Of course, while reports can help us identify concerns, we won’t really know what will work until we get on the ground. So starting in April, some 20 Jewish family service organizations, who are AJFCA members from across North America, will work to create better volunteer programs. They will come up with theories, put those theories into practice and help us see what works so we can spread best practices to the rest of the Jewish family service network — and then beyond to the broader Jewish nonprofit world.

In this process, we will not only be informed by good work happening already in the Jewish family service network, but also by emerging efforts in the secular service world such as the Reimagining Service and the Cities of Service initiatives.

The Jewish people has a long and distinguished history of helping others. We brought this tradition to North America more than a century ago and have practiced it through the settlement houses of the turn of the last century, the vast network of Jewish hospitals that now exist primarily for a general population and the work of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society with immigrants not only from the ravaged Jewish communities of Eastern Europe but also refugees from all around the world.

Jewish family service agencies began by assisting Jewish refugees and immigrants, orphans and the poor and needy. Today, these agencies continue to provide critical services to people of all ages of all religious and cultural backgrounds; with special needs and physical needs; and through economic challenges and life-cycle changes.

It’s time that we introduce this crucial work and these impressive organizations to the next generation of volunteers, supporters and advocates. It’s time we foster pride in our contributions to our communities at large and enable young people to embrace their work as an entry point back into the Jewish community.

(Jon Rosenberg is CEO of Repair the World. Lee Sherman is president and CEO of the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies.)